Sweaty palms, a dry mouth and a mind blank? You must be doing a work presentation!
With almost a quarter of people in the United Kingdom (24.2%) reporting “high” anxiety in an ONS survey last March, it’s normal to feel a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of a work presentation.
Although the prospect of presenting at work can be daunting, there are ways you can reduce your chances of going blank when you’re trying to present your arguments or strategy.
To help you create a killer presentation that’ll go down a treat with your peers, we’ve put together some top tips to make your presentation a success.
1. Have a structure
Firstly, when you’re putting together your presentation, have a thorough plan for the structure. Think critically and try to devise an order that makes sense.
If you have little to no structure, your audience could end up getting confused as you try to get your points across.
2. Be organised
Fumbling around for loose papers and forgetting your notes never looks professional during a presentation.
If you need supporting documents, have everything properly organised in a presentation folder.
You’ll have peace of mind with everything you need stored neatly in the folder ready to give to the audience.
3. Have a strong opening
Much like a good book or a film, having a strong opening is crucial.
When you’re putting together your presentation, think about what the audience wants to hear. Once you’ve decided that, create a punchy opening that’ll hook their attention.
You could even start with some punchy statistics.
4. Keep it short and straight to the point
According to research, the average attention span of a British person is declining. Therefore, it’s never been more important to keep presentations concise.
Try to think about what your main points are going to be and how you evidence these or back them up.
If one of your points isn’t essential or doesn’t add to the argument, don’t be afraid to leave it out.
5. Make eye contact whenever possible
Rather than stare at your shoes, try to make eye contact with the audience whenever you can.
Although you may not feel confident, maintaining eye contact will help to portray a certainty that’ll go a long way in engaging your audience.
6. Use body language in your favour
Where you can, avoid hiding your hands in your pockets or behind your back.
This can give the impression that you don’t have confidence in your abilities. Instead, smile!
7. Have a glass of water close to you
If you get nervous, you can always take a moment to drink some water and calm down.
You won’t be marked down for that, and it may just be the key to a great presentation.
The bottom line…
Although presenting can be tough, luckily you can better your skills.
From simple things such as maintaining strong body language to having your papers neatly arranged, you too can smash your next work presentation.
Good luck!
Recent Comments